This invention relates to electrical connector assemblies for mating with conductive pins of a complementary connector and, more particularly, to such an assembly which is adaptive to accommodate variations in the spacing between, and in the diameters of, the pins.
It is common in aircraft to provide a "quick disconnect" electrical connector assembly attached to a wiring harness for mating with a complementary receptacle, or connector, secured to the aircraft battery. The quick disconnect feature provides an effective way by which the battery may be disconnected so that it can be removed from the aircraft for maintenance and/or repair and then readily reconnected after such maintenance and/or repair. Typically, the receptacle which is secured to the battery has two conductive pins molded in a plastic housing, with the two pins having a fixed nominal spacing therebetween and being of a specified nominal diameter. These two pins are respectively connected to the positive and negative terminals of the battery.
The connector assembly which engages the receptacle includes two female sockets which receive the two pins of the receptacle to provide a low resistance electrical connection therewith. When designing such a connector assembly, numerous requirements must be satisfied. Some of these requirements are as follows:
A. the sockets must accommodate, within prescribed limits, variations in the spacing between the mating receptacle pins; PA1 B. the sockets must accommodate, within prescribed limits, variations in the diameters of the mating receptacle pins; PA1 C. the sockets must be able to withstand relative motion of the mating receptacle that may occur during structural or dynamic loading; PA1 D. the pins of the receptacle must enter the sockets with a low insertion force; and PA1 E. the sockets must maintain good electrical contact with the mating receptacle pins after several thousand insertions and throughout the operating life of the parts.
It is therefore a primary object of the present invention to provide an electrical connector assembly which satisfies all of the above requirements.